Pulse compression by nonlinear pulse evolution with reduced optical wave breaking in erbium-doped fiber amplifiers

Nonlinear pulse evolution is studied for a fiber with normal dispersion (ND) and gain. Numerical simulations show that under certain conditions the pulse evolves into a parabolic shape, which has been shown to reduce optical wave breaking. Much as with the square pulse that forms in passive fibers with ND, the interplay of ND and self-phase modulation creates a highly linear chirp, which can be efficiently compressed. Application to an amplifying fiber/grating (prism) pair pulse compressor is considered, with an experimental demonstration of compression from 350 to 77 fs at a gain of 18 dB in an erbium-doped fiber amplifier. (C) 1996 Optical Society of America